Monster Energy Triumph Racing’s Mikkel Haarup has secured fifth overall at the MXGP of Czech Republic, with teammate Camden McLellan close behind in seventh. Consistent results for both riders – a 4-5 for Haarup and a 7-8 for McLellan – underlined the speed and ability of the duo, along with the performance of their TF 250-X machines.

Following a hugely successful trip to Indonesia for two back-to-back rounds, Monster Energy Triumph Racing headed to the Loket circuit in the Czech Republic for MXGP round 13. Known for its high speeds and rough terrain, the race track is one of the toughest on the calendar, and with Haarup and McLellan running up front during the weekend, it was another rewarding GP for the team.

Despite a crash on Saturday, Haarup regrouped to deliver a pair of strong results on Sunday. Capitalising on his great start in race one, the Dane moved forward from sixth and held third until the final lap, when MX2 World Championship leader Kay de Wolf found a way by.

Race two saw Haarup start third before moving into second on lap three, and he then took the lead for almost a lap when Liam Everts fell. Shortly after, six riders were engaged in a tense battle at the head of the field, and with a handful of laps remaining, Mikkel was shuffled back to fifth. Paired with his opening-race fourth, the result placed Haarup fifth overall to maintain sixth in the MX2 World Championship standings.

Continuing to rebuild himself following injury, McLellan was equally as consistent and impressive as his teammate in the Czech Republic. In race one, he successfully held off Oriol Oliver for seventh before finishing eighth in moto two after starting from fourth. Besides placing a strong seventh overall, Camden now sits just 20 points from the top 10 in the standings despite missing six rounds.

Next weekend, Monster Energy Triumph Racing travel to the deep sand track of Lommel, Belgium, for round 14 of the 2024 FIM Motocross World Championship.

Mikkel Haarup: “We’re done here in Loket and looking at the results, it’s been a solid weekend. Two good starts today, and we were competing for the top three in both races. I led for a little bit in the second moto, although I wasn’t feeling 100% and couldn’t bring it to the finish line, but we’ll get another chance next weekend in Lommel.”

Camden McLellan: “The track here in Loket is awesome, and it got really, really rough and made for some great racing. I have a lot of positives to take away from here, including my great start in race two, so my focus is to start like that consistently. Speed-wise, I’m still not quite there after my injury, so I’ll be working on some intensity training during the week and we’ll soon be back to where we need to be.”

Vincent Bereni – Monster Energy Triumph Racing Team Manager: “Loket is one of the most challenging tracks on the calendar, and it was also the first time we have raced there, so the team is really happy with the results by both riders. Camden and Mikkel showed great pace all weekend, and Camden’s race two start was excellent as well. Mikkel had a crash on Saturday, but he rebounded today to go 4-5 for fifth overall. Next weekend, we head to Lommel, and the aim is to continue with the momentum that’s been building through the last few rounds.”

Results – MXGP of Czech Republic

MX2 Race 1

1. Lucas Coenen (Husqvarna) 33:54.414
2. Simon Langenfelder (GASGAS) 34:04.363
3. Kay de Wolf (Husqvarna) 34:07.997
4. Mikkel Haarup (Triumph) 34:08.923
5. Liam Everts (KTM) 34:12.456
6. Rick Elzinga (Yamaha) 34:32.845
7. Camden McLellan (Triumph) 34:48.474

MX2 Race 2

1. Kay de Wolf (Husqvarna) 33:54.288
2. Simon Langenfelder (GASGAS) 33:56.246
3. Liam Everts (KTM) 34:02.033
4. Lucas Coenen (Husqvarna) 34:14.973
5. Mikkel Haarup (Triumph) 34:18.395        
6. Rick Elzinga (Yamaha) 34:27.415
8. Camden McLellan (Triumph) 34:44.761

MX2 Overall

1. Kay de Wolf (Husqvarna) 45pts
2. Simon Langenfelder (GASGAS) 44pts
3. Lucas Coenen (Husqvarna) 43pts
4. Liam Everts (KTM) 36pts
5. Mikkel Haarup (Triumph) 34pts
6. Rick Elzinga (Yamaha) 30pts
7. Camden McLellan (Triumph) 27pts

MX2 World Championship Standings

1. Kay de Wolf (Husqvarna) 626pts
2. Lucas Coenen (Husqvarna) 580pts
3. Simon Langenfelder (GASGAS) 560pts
4. Liam Everts (KTM) 515pts
5. Andrea Adamo (KTM) 457pts
6. Mikkel Haarup (Triumph) 433pts
13. Camden McLellan (Triumph) 209pts